Universities & Campus Housing

U.S. Senate Passes Campus Fire Safety Month Resolution

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed resolution recognizing September as National Campus Fire Safety Month.

September 26, 2013 — A resolution recognizing September as National Campus Fire Safety Month has been passed unanimously by the United States Senate. In the past, this resolution was introduced by the late Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), a long-time advocate of campus fire safety, in partnership with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME). This year, Senator Collins introduced it on his behalf and was joined in a show of bipartisan support as original co-sponsors by Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Tom Carper (D-DE).

“Designating September as National Campus Fire Safety Month is a timely reminder of the danger that fire can pose and the life-saving importance of fire prevention awareness and education,” said Senator Collins.

First started in 2005, National Campus Fire Safety Month has grown each year with more campuses and communities doing fire safety education programs. Over the past nine years, 259 state proclamations have been issued, in addition to resolutions by the United States Congress, and this has raised awareness about the importance of campus fire safety among students, parents, campus administrators and fire departments.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker issued a proclamation designating September as Campus Fire Safety Month, a proclamation that has been issued by the Governor each year since 2006.

For more information on campus fire safety, including a map of the states that have issued 2007 proclamations, visit Campus Firewatch.

On Sept. 6, 2005, members of the state assembly committee on Colleges and Universities were among the crowd of spectators watching a live burn demonstrating two typical student dorm rooms, both identical in size and arrangement. One room was protected with fire sprinklers. The demonstration showed how within a few
minutes the non-protected room was engulfed in flames, while the sprinklered room fire was extinguished or controlled in less than 2 minutes. The Madison Fire Department assisted in putting out the fires.